[BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: The other reason VAG wants to move

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Shows the consequence of forcing VAG staff outside for a smoke . . . .

Dan Gallacher
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  From: Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. 
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  Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 9:49 AM
  Subject: [BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: The other reason VAG wants to move


  The other reason the Vancouver Art Gallery wants to move: Marijuana stench 
  Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail, Thursday, July 8, 2010 


  Bringing a whole new meaning to "high art," David Allison surprised a public information session on the Vancouver Art Gallery's proposed move this week with his tales from the vault. As a member of the VAG's acquisitions committee, Mr. Allison has visited the gallery's basement storage, and reports not only an "appalling" leak down there, but that he has also detected the scent of marijuana smoke in the air. 


  "It wafts in from the front steps. So here I am in this room surrounded by Emily Carrs and Group of Seven pieces and all these amazing, amazing contemporary artworks that we have in our possession as a city and as a citizenry, and there's dope wafting through the air." 


  Mr. Allison, a Vancouver marketer specializing in real estate, made the observations about the storage facility on Wednesday night to illustrate the need for the move. 


  "It's not an ideal situation for us to be storing our legacy for the future." 


  The VAG is a notorious gathering point for pro-marijuana events (such as the annual 420 gathering) and it's not unusual to see - and smell - pot being smoked outside. 


  "On average, there's someone smoking a joint here every hour," a bike courier who would identify himself as only The Kid said outside the VAG on Thursday. He and a group of colleagues said they gather there every day and, yes, they indulge. 


  While Mr. Allison said, "it just seems like common sense" that pot smoke would affect the art collection in storage, gallery director Kathleen Bartels assured The Globe and Mail that the works are protected. 


  "We monitor on a daily, hour-by-hour basis," she said, suggesting Mr. Allison was in a different part of the basement from the vault when he smelled the smoke. "We don't have leaking water in the vault," she added. 


  The pot-smoking bike couriers dismissed the idea as well. "You'd think those things would be secure," The Kid said. "Isn't the vault a self-contained unit? Air tight?" 


  Added Dominique Ross: "It's just another excuse to blame it on pot. 'Oh, we have to move because of the pot.' " 


  The VAG is in a former provincial courthouse that was renovated almost 30 years ago. Ms. Bartels says the gallery needs to move because the facility is too small. Only 3 per cent of the permanent collection can be exhibited at any one time, there isn't enough room for educational programs, and the storage vault is full. She wants a new purpose-built gallery on a city-owned block at 150 Dunsmuir St. 
  The gallery has submitted a formal proposal for that land. "I've had a lot of positive feedback from the city," said Michael Audain, chair of the gallery's relocation committee. 


  Mr. Audain said he expects city council to deal with the matter in the fall. "I still feel very positive about it," he said. 


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